Muggles In Diagon Alley
by tinylexie
Summary: This is for Round 11 of alyssialui's Twister Challenge. In this round, we had to choose a task. I chose to write about a shopping trip. Summary: Before Hermione can go to Hogwarts for her first year, she must first go shopping with her parents in Diagon Alley to get all the items on her school list.


**Author's Note****: Parts of this story will be identical to or very similar to the events that take place in **_**Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone**_**, Chapter 5, "Diagon Alley."**

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><p>"Mum, Dad, are you two ready to go yet?" Hermione asked from the bottom of the stairs, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.<p>

"We're coming, Hermione," Dr. Granger chuckled in amusement as he and his wife made their way down the stairs so that they could join their daughter.

After locking the door on their way out, the three Grangers made their way into the car, so that they could drive to London.

"All right," Dr. Granger said as soon as they had arrived, "according to what Professor McGonagall told us, we have to go to the Underground. Would you like to pay for our tickets, Hermione?"

Hermione, who was usually a very serious girl with a no-nonsense attitude, could not help but nod her head eagerly.

Ruffling his daughter's brushy brown hair fondly, Dr. Granger handed her the money.

Hermione somehow managed to keep herself calm and proper as she handed the money to the person in the ticket booth.

After the Grangers arrived at their destination, they went up a broken-down escalator that led to a road that was lined with shops.

"Okay," Mrs. Granger spoke to her daughter, "according to Professor McGonagall, you should be seeing a pub somewhere along this road."

It did not take Hermione's sharp eyes long to spot the pub.

"There it is," she cried out in an excited voice.

Hermione's parents both looked in the direction she was pointing, but they didn't see the pub.

"Oh, you two must not be able to see it," Hermione remarked in a sad voice. She had wanted her parents to be able to fully share this experience with her. She had not wanted them to feel left out in any way.

"It's all right, dear," Mrs. Granger smiled reassuringly. "We have always been your guides in life. But now it's _your_ turn to lead. Go ahead, Hermione. Be our tour guide."

"All right," Hermione said as she got in between both of her parents so that she could take each of their hands. "Follow me then."

Their hands now clasped together, the Grangers made their way into the pub.

The bartender looked up at their arrival.

"Ah, wonderful, another Muggle-born," he smiled warmly as he walked over to them. "It's always good to see that magic does not just thrive in the Wizarding World. My name is Tom, by the way."

"I'm Hermione."

Hermione's parents then introduced themselves.

"Professor McGonagall mentioned that you would probably help us out," Dr. Granger remarked.

"Of course," Tom replied. "I'm always happy to help new arrivals to our world. It's important to me that _all_ wizards and witches feel welcomed. Follow me. I'll show you all where you need to go next. It's real simple once you get used to it."

Tom led them out the pub and into a small, walled courtyard that contained only a trash can and a few weeds.

The Grangers watched as Tom counted the bricks in the wall above the trash can.

"Three up," Tom said. "Then, two across."

"Three up and then two across," Hermione repeated.

Tom nodded his head approvingly. He then pulled out his wand and used it to tap the wall three times.

The brick he had touched began to move back and forth. Then, a small hole appeared.

The hole quickly grew, until it became a large archway.

Hermione and her parents looked at the cobbled street that was now ahead of them.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Tom grinned at them. "This archway will close as soon as you all pass through, but don't worry. When you come back after you are finished with all your shopping, this wall will automatically open back up."

"Thank you for all your help, Tom," Hermione said in an appreciative voice. "You have made us feel most welcomed."

Hermione's parents voiced their agreements.

"It was no problem at all," Tom returned with a warm smile. "I hope you find everything you need, Hermione." With that, he turned and went back into the pub.

The Grangers, meanwhile, stepped through the archway. As soon as they were in Diagon Alley, the archway automatically shrank back into a solid wall.

Hermione looked around at all the shops, her eyes shining with excitement. She couldn't wait to get all the items that she would need for Hogwarts.

She couldn't wait until it was time to finally go to Hogwarts for the first time.

"We got to go to Gringotts first," Dr. Granger spoke, trying to sound as if he didn't feel out-of-place. He didn't want to upset his daughter when she was clearly excited and happy. "It should be a tall white building."

All three of their hands still clasped together, the Grangers made their way down the street.

There were shops for cauldrons, for robes, for telescopes and strange silver instruments, for potions, for books, and for many other things.

"We need to first change our money into wizard money," Dr. Granger laughed in amusement when Hermione stopped them in front of a store filled with books.

Hermione nodded her head. But as they continued to walk, she occasionally looked over her shoulder to look back at the bookshop. As soon as they were done at Gringotts, that shop would have to be their first stop.

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><p>Hermione looked at the goblins in amazement. McGonagall had told them what to expect, but there definitely was a difference between hearing about goblins and actually seeing them.<p>

The Grangers approached the counter and walked over to a free goblin.

"We would like to change our money into wizard money," Dr. Granger said in a somewhat shaky voice.

Hermione squeezed her father's hand reassuringly. He looked down at his daughter and smiled warmly.

"Of course," the goblin replied, taking the money from Dr. Granger.

"And could you explain to us how the money works in this world?" Dr. Granger asked. "Professor McGonagall explained it to us when she came to visit us at our house, but I would like to hear it explained again."

"Of course," the goblin returned. "That will be no problem at all."

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><p>"The bookshop first," Hermione spoke as soon as they had stepped out of Gringotts.<p>

Both of her parents laughed.

"Wherever you want to go first, sweetie," Mrs. Granger said, "is fine with us. You're the tour guide."

Hermione released her grip on both of her parents' hands, but she made sure to not walk too far in front of them.

In her excitement, though, Hermione was not watching where she was going as much as she usually did. She didn't notice the woman until she bumped into her.

The packages that the woman had been carrying were knocked out of her arms and fell down onto the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Hermione said quickly. "Here, let me help you pick those things up."

"I don't need your help," the woman snapped at Hermione. She pulled out her wand and waved it. All the packages immediately floated back into the woman's arms.

Hermione took a moment to look at the woman. She was tall and beautiful, and her long blond hair was lovely. But her beauty was marred somewhat by the current cold expression on her face.

"I hope I didn't break anything," Hermione spoke, somehow managing to keep her voice from shaking.

The woman eyed Hermione up-and-down as if she was some sort of bug.

Hermione considered herself to be a very confident girl, but the woman's glare definitely intimated her.

"There are spells to fix broken items, you silly girl," the woman said.

"Oh, of course," Hermione replied, feeling very stupid.

"You must be a Muggle-born," the woman sneered.

"Is something wrong here?" Dr. Granger asked as he and his wife approached them.

The woman now sneered at him. To his credit, though, he stood firm, even though it was clear that he was a bit nervous.

Hermione looked over at her mother. She was shaking slightly.

_I should have been paying more attention to where I was going,_ Hermione couldn't help thinking. _Now I've gone and started something horrible._

Hermione knew that she was probably being silly, but a part of her really was worried that this woman was going to use her wand and do something horrible to her and her parents.

"You Muggles have never had any proper breeding," the woman told Dr. Granger. "Tell your daughter to watch where she is going next time."

"Of course," Dr. Granger replied. "We're really sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused you."

The woman gave them one final sneer before walking past them as if she owned the place.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said.

"It's not your fault, sweetie," Mrs. Granger responded. "It was an accident. It could have happened to anyone. You were just excited, and no one can blame you for that."

Hermione nodded her head, but it was clear that her earlier happiness was gone.

"Let's not just stand here," Dr. Granger spoke, smiling as widely as possible. "We have lots to buy. Why don't we start at the bookshop first?"

Hermione could not help but brighten slightly at the mention of books.

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><p>Several shops later, Hermione had almost forgotten her encounter with the beautiful but cold woman. She was once again filled with excitement and happiness.<p>

"I believe all we need to get now is your wand," Mrs. Granger said, looking at the list that she was holding in her hand.

Her wand. Even more than the books (as hard as that might have been to believe), Hermione had been looking forward to getting her wand.

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><p>An old man greeted them. "Good afternoon," he said. "I am Mr. Ollivander. You're here for your first wand, I'm assuming."<p>

"Yes, I am," Hermione responded in an eager voice.

"Let me first do some measurements," Mr. Ollivander said as he pulled a long tape measurer out of his pocket and began to measure Hermione in various places.

As he measuring her, Mr. Ollivander explained that each wand was unique and that you only got the best results with your own personal wand.

"Think of a wand as an extension of yourself," Mr. Ollivander said. "It is more than just a tool. It is a part of you. It is important, therefore, to take good care of your wand."

Hermione nodded her head respectfully.

After all the measurements were done, Mr. Ollivander began to give Hermione a few wands to try out.

Trying not to feel foolish, Hermione took each wand and waved it around a bit.

Mr. Ollivander shook his head each time.

"Don't worry," he said. "We'll eventually find the right wand for you. Every wizard and witch has a wand that is meant just for them."

Then, Mr. Ollivander finally handed Hermione a wand that just felt right. She couldn't quite explain the feeling, but the feeling was telling her that this wand was meant to be her wand.

Feeling the warmth in her fingers, Hermione raised the wand and waved it around. Red and gold sparks shot out the end of the wand like fireworks.

Hermione's parents looked on in wonder and with pride in their eyes.

"There's definitely no denying it now," Hermione smiled brightly. "I truly am a witch."


End file.
